Killswitch Engage

Killswitch Engage is the debut album by American metalcore band Killswitch Engage, released July 04, 2000 through Ferret Music. The album is the only release ever by Killswitch Engage to be released through Ferret, the band would later be signed to Roadrunner Records, where their follow-up LP, Alive or Just Breathing was released. The band’s debut is considered to be one of the first ever successful albums in the metalcore genre, garnering a re-release five years after its original pressing. No songs in the album were released as singles.

The song “Soilborn” was the first song the band ever wrote, which took shape during the band’s first jam session together, also mentioned in From the Bedroom to the Basement. The band wrote the entire album’s music without a singer, until Jesse Leach of local band Nothing Stays Gold (who were signed to Dutkiewicz’s brother Tobias’ record label, Tobias also being the singer for Aftershock) joined the band shortly after its formation. Many of the songs were then recorded for a demo, which included “Soilborn”, before the recording of the band’s debut full-length.

While writing the album, bassist D’Antonio asked Ferret Music if they could sign his band as a favor since D’Antonio illustrated the covers for some of the albums released through the label. Ferret were said to have signed Killswitch Engage mainly because metal was becoming less and less popular at the time, and representatives felt that they might be the last metal band they would ever sign.